A variety of talented people are being recognized by scholarships at HKUST, including sports stars Becko Chiu (above) and Elisabetta Sorrentino (right), and student mentor Ka Cheuk Yung.

In early May, the Bai Xian Asia Future Leaders Scholarships were inaugurated in Beijing, with HKUST the only Hong Kong university chosen to participate in the ambitious program involving six Mainland China, Hong Kong and Japanese universities. The exchange and training award scheme, initiated by Mr Ronald Kee Young Chao, Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Novel Group, is setting out to train future Asian leaders with a global view. President Tony F Chan and Executive Vice-President and Provost Wei Shyy attended the ceremony.

Diverse talents

The scholarships will take their welcome place among a widening range of such accolades at HKUST, which are helping to bring young achievers with an assortment of talents and from a variety of backgrounds to campus. More than 2,000 scholarships are now available, including academic achievement and other aspects of learning, such as sporting prowess, student exchange and personal initiative, to broaden campus diversity.

Recent awards include the TWF ANZ WISE Scholarships, launched in March by the Women’s Foundation and ANZ Bank to encourage more top young female achievers in Hong Kong to pursue computer engineering, computer science and electronic engineering degrees under the University’s Women in Science & Engineering (WISE) scholarship program; and the AEF Athletic Scholarships for New Undergraduate Students, set up by the Alumni Endowment Fund to recruit outstanding sports students.

Enabling the next generation

For donors, setting up scholarships allows them to connect with the next generation, and have a positive impact on young people. For recipients, it can mean a life-changing opportunity and an example of care and support for others that can inspire them to give back. Ka Cheuk Yung , a student mentoring scholarship awardee, said that serving as a mentor had enabled him to gain greater self-direction and to pinpoint his own goals as well as help others: “Mentoring others changed my way of defining myself,” he explained. Meanwhile, Elisabetta Sorrentino and Becko Chiu, who have received AEF sports scholarships, have noted that their awards enable them to showcase the benefits of sports to fellow students. Both are also keen to foster sportsmanship and a sporting culture on campus, helping to widen interests and perspectives.